Kingsley Okpor, Founder of Art Fusion Night gives immense honour to the UAE for drawing multicultural talents and a diverse mix of people to its shores. As winner of the first Black Excellence Awards to be held in the Middle East, he believes that ‘if you don’t give Dubai a chance, then it won’t give you a chance’. He also admitted to Melissa Randhawa that his entity appears to have a mysteriously self-propelling nature.
The award-winning singer-songwriter from East Nigeria reveals that people come to him and say, “We need artists for this event. When I provide their contacts, they ask me, ‘How do you find these people?’ With honesty I tell them that I don’t know.”
This pretty much sums up the organic creative mystery of Art Fusion Night— an entity that seems to have a dynamic destiny mapped out for itself. On the surface, it appears to be a community for creative talents such as performing artists, poets, painters, artists, designers, singers, broadway and stage plays enthusiasts. It’s become popular amongst the cultural scene thanks to Kingsley who is also known as MKO. What is striking is that the talented singer who now has a huge fan base once felt like an underdog when he couldn’t find a gig anywhere at which to perform.
That was over a decade ago. Thirteen, to be precise. At that time, other budding artists whom he’d come to know had struck a similar cord. “That’s when I’d decided to build a community for artists in order to connect, network and perform at gigs”, stated Kingsley, “by building an industry that never existed.”
As a city where WiFi and smartphones are widely used, Dubai already provides a bedrock for communities to thrive. While it may seem like a straightforward bridge to cross, anyone who has ever experienced the profession of an artist knows the challenges of being noticed, recognised and deservingly appreciated. More so, monetizing one’s deliverables and managing the business side of the arts can be daunting, especially to novices and fledgling talents.
Therefore, with his background in business development, Kingsley set up a roadmap for artists to merit their success. “It’s been so effective, states the Copeel Global winner of the Leadership Excellence Award and rather happily, “that a few of them have quit their jobs to become full-time artists. Some of them can now see that it’s not impossible to grow their art. Even curators that come to our space have opportunities”, he commented.
If that’s quite an achievement for 30-year olds, then one wonders how much can they make for their art? “AED40,000 by an artist from Uganda”, he replied sprightly. A well-loved and award-winning talent hosted by Art Fusion Night includes British Artist Andrew Scanlan. His stunning paintings sell for anything between AED40,000 to AED18,000 a piece. “In fact, Andrew Scanlan’s first ever showcase in the UAE was with Art Fusion Night”, shared Kingsley who recently collaborated with EMAAR Dubai and Burj Khalifa to present the All Africa Festival in October 2021.
His verified instahandle titled mko_world is alive with music videos from his first album called Diverse that were filmed around Dubai, and he collaborates with brands like Davidoff, Puma, Dubaiwear, Hugo Boss, Tiffany, Ajorca Jewels and Virgo Water.
The profile on Instagram provides clarity on AFN (as a place) Where Creative Talent Meets Lifestyle. They’ve hosted a number of Art Corporate Social events at various venues in the DIFC which attract an affluent, fun-loving and polished audience.
“Other platforms have replicated the concept as they have seen the need for an art community. We cannot cater to everyone”, explained Kingsley.
“When Art Fusion Night began, Nakheel offered them a spot on The Pointe. “800 people showed up, and I don’t know how”, stated the fashion-lover who is really pleased to see how far the local art scene has grown.
“Our first event had 350 people and the numbers haven’t fallen below that count”, he added with an expression of wondering whether I’m finding his story a bit too magical for real. Reassuringly, Kingsley drops more big names. “So, AFN hosts events that are supported by Dubai Tourism and Dubai Food Festival, the latter were prepared for 5,000 people from our side. Other prestigious locations include Capital Club Dubai, Intersect by Lexus, Maison Rouge, Nikki Beach and At.mosphere Burj Khalifa to name a few. “This is why I love this country: they support diversity and they are promoting a multicultural society”, affirmed the artist that radio hosts will often interview before airing tracks from his album titled Diverse.
He charged on, “People come to AFN because there is something for everyone. We showcase all forms of creative talent. This is what makes it art fusion”.
At this point, I’m rather curious to know more about a typical event.
“Well, you’ve got to attend one in person to understand the energy that takes over the place”, he proclaimed without being boastful. “UAE is multicultural; you could find someone performing Kathak or a singer singing in Portuguese, with dialects from Brazil.”
That’s true, I thought, and discovered that an upcoming event will showcase two artists who are British, along with a German, a Russian and there’s a new talent from the Maldives. At this juncture, Kingsley stressed upon an important fact, “We also make sure that when it comes to art, the artist must be present at the event, and we turn down artists to want to sell art through our platform without being present at the event night”.
He summarised that AFN represents culture, community, a sense of belonging, and is a breath of fresh air to network and meet other people. It recognises passion and is knowledgeable on how to nurture it. “We help you to use your perspective of what the actual vision is”, concluded the forward-thinking Kingsley.
The good: Art Fusion Night is for everyone and there must be something for you.
The bad: Missing out on an experience of this cultural celebration happening in the city.
The trendy: Building communities and helping people to connect with one another.
Image credit: “Twinsdntbeg”
Location: Media One Hotel Dubai
Melissa Singh Randhawa is a Dubai-based news editor who loves sailing, art, economics and astronomy. As Brand Ambassador for SheScapes Global and the Delhi Poetry Festival, her network portfolio is rich with diversity. She is a sustainability champ at heart, a spokesperson for the International Fashion Innovation Conclave and works with NGOs for the United Nations. Born and raised in Dubai, she enjoys research writing about the UAE and those who shape the nation (Khaleej Times —Business & Culture). With 27 years as a published journalist, her byline appears in the UK, HK, UAE, USA & the Far East media. New York Times —Dubai: Refined Desire.